It is questionable whether or not retrial after a hung jury is Constitutional. Nonetheless, in the United States today, it is generally permitted. If a mistrial occurs due to a hung jury, the prosecutor may decide to retry the case.
History: Federal Penitentiary. The army transferred Alcatraz to the civilian Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in 1934. The BOP quickly converted the aging military prison in to a maximum-security, state-of-the-art civilian penitentiary. Alcatraz would shortly become the most famous federal prison in United States history. Alcatraz was designed to serve as Americaâs first maximum-security, minimum-privilege penitentiary, what is today referred to as a âsuper maxâ institution. From 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz housed some of Americaâs most notorious offenders, escape artists, gang leaders and general trouble makers.
Alcatraz Island became a national park in 1972 and was considered part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Open to the public in 1973, Alcatraz sees more than one million visitors from across the globe each year.